Media Theory and Methods

Need help with your research? Contact:

Jen Jarson
Social Sciences Reference Librarian
phone: x3552
email: jarson [at] muhlenberg [dot] edu
IM (AIM, Yahoo, MSN): jjarson1 (add @hotmail.com for MSN)

Need help after hours?
IM the Library at TalkToTrexler (for AIM, Yahoo, and MSN)
Note: Add @hotmail.com for MSN.
Online Sunday-Thursday 2pm-10pm.
See Ask a Librarian for more information.

Selected Reference Materials

Blanchard, Margaret A., ed. History of the Mass Media in the United States: An Encyclopedia. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998.
Reference 302.230973 B639h

Johnston, Donald H., ed. Encyclopedia of International Media & Communications. San Diego, Calif.; London: Academic, 2003.
Reference 302.2303 E56o v.1-4

Jones, Steve, ed. Encyclopedia of New Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2003.
Reference 302.23403 J79e

Newcomb, Horace, ed. Encyclopedia of Television, 2nd ed. New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, 2004.
Reference 384.5503 E56o v.1-4

Reina Schement, Jorge, ed. Encyclopedia of Communication & Information. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002.
Reference 302.203 E56o v.1-3

Watson, James, and Anne Hill. A Dictionary of Communication and Media Studies, 4th ed. London; New York: Arnold; New York, NY: Distributed exclusively in the USA by St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Reference 302.2 W339d, 1997

Trexler Library may also have reference works related to your particular topic. To find them, search the catalog or ask for help. Examples include:

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen, Ed. Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2007.
Reference 302.23083 E56o v.1-2

Bankston, Carl L., Ed. Racial and Ethnic Relations in America. Pasadena, CA: Salem Press, 2000.
Reference 305.800973 R121a v.1-3

Davis, Thomas J. Race Relations in America: A Reference Guide with Primary Documents. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2006.
Reference 305.800973 D264r

Newton, David E. Violence and the Media: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1996.
Reference 303.6 N562v

Finding Books

TTREXLER LIBRARY

Search the Trexler Library Catalog to find out what books, government publications, journals, videos, etc. the library owns. For tips on searching the catalog, use the Help link above the search boxes.

GETTING THERE:
Use the shortcut search box on the Library Homepage or Library Homepage  --  Books, Videos, Music, ... (in Find box)  --  Trexler Library Catalog

OTHER LIBRARIES

WorldCat. To find books held by other libraries, search WorldCat, a database of over 60 million library records from around the country and world. Use the ILL button to request a book from another library. (ILL can take 10-14 days.)

GETTING THERE:
Library Homepage  --  Books, Videos, Music, ... (in Find box)  --  Other Library Catalogs -- WorldCat

E-ZBorrow. For quick delivery of books from many Pennsylvania and area academic libraries (including University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, University of Pittsburgh, and many more), use E-ZBorrow. (E-ZBorrow takes 2-4 business days.)

GETTING THERE:
Library Homepage  --  Books, Videos, Music, ... (in Find box)  --  Other Library Catalogs -- E-ZBorrow

TIP: Because E-ZBorrow books can arrive so quickly, check the E-ZBorrow catalog for any books you find in WorldCat. If not available there, then request via the ILL button in Worldcat.

LVAIC. You can borrow books directly from LVAIC lLibraries.

GETTING THERE:
Library Homepage  --  Books, Videos, Music, ... (in Find box)  --  Regional Libraries  -- LVAIC Libraries

For more information on Interlibrary Loan options, see http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/more/ill/index.html or ask for help.

GETTING THERE:
Library Homepage  --  ILL (in the Services & Forms box)

Finding Articles

SEARCHING FOR ARTICLES

  • See a list of all databases via the Library Homepage  --  Articles A-Z (in the Find box).

Specialized Databases: Media and Communication

Communication and Mass Media Complete
The most comprehensive database in communication studies. Contains abstracts and hundreds of journal titles in full-text.

Sage Journals Online
Provides access to all journals published by Sage, an important publisher in the field. Full text online for 1999-present.

Specialized Databases: Other Disciplines

Business Source Elite (Business)

ERIC (Education)

PsycINFO (Psychology)

Sociological Abstracts (Sociology)

Interdisciplinary Databases

Academic Search Premier
Large and diverse database that covers most academic disciplines, including Media and Communications Studies. Contains both scholarly and non-academic resources. Includes many articles in full-text.

OmniFile (Wilson)
Multi-disciplinary database providing the complete content-indexing, abstracts, and full text-from six of Wilson's full-text databases, including Social Sciences Abstracts.

GETTING THE ARTICLES

  1. When searching for articles, you may find the full-text of an article linked in the database.

  2. If not, you need to search the Trexler Library Catalog to see if we own the journal in which the article is published.
    • Most databases have a Get It! link embedded. Click the link to check our holdings.
    • Otherwise, search the catalog by journal title. Verify that we have online, print, or microform access to the year/volume you need.
  3. If we do not own the journal you need, request the article via Interlibrary Loan.
    • Some databases have a Request on Interlibrary Loan link embedded. Click the link to fill out the form. Click Submit.
    • Otherwise, use the Interlibrary Loan Journal Article Request Form (Library Homepage  --  ILL (in the Services & Forms box)  --  Articles request form). Fill out the form with as much information as possible. Ask for help, if you have questions.

Citing Your Sources

For help using APA Style, consult the following resources:

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 p976m 2001 (at Reference Desk)

Concise Rules of APA Style.  Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2005.
Reference Desk Reserve 808.06615 C744r (at Reference Desk)

Trexler Library handout on using APA style: http://www.muhlenberg.edu/library/reshelp/apa_example.pdf

Writer's Handbook (Writing Center, University of Wisconsin--Madison)
http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocAPA.html

© Muhlenberg College
Last modified: 6 February 2008